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"The most important post you will ever read".....

melski

New Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2003
Messages
382
Location
Baltimore, Md
Everyone and I mean everyone that even smokes a cigar now and then has to be on alert for messages from all B&M smokeshops AND Internet vendors AND Manufacturers in the next few days regarding the proposed new tax on tobaacco products:

“The Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a markup on Tuesday, July 17 on legislation dealing with the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The measure is expected to be reported out of committee. Funding would be almost totally via higher taxes on tobacco products. The cigarette tax will increase by $.61 to $1 per pack effective after December 31, 2007. Other tobacco products would be taxed as follows:

large cigars -- 53.13% of mfr's or importer's sales price but not more than $10.00 per cigar.”

In addition, there will be a floor stocks tax on tobacco products manufactured in the U.S. or imported into the U.S, which are removed before January 1, 2008 and held on that date for sale. The person holding the product on January 1, 2008 is liable for the tax to be paid on or before April 1, 2008.

YES ! You read that right ! $10.00 PER CIGAR, plus whatever your local state tax is. The people in Washington have absolutely no clue about the cigar business. Their sole focus is on cigarettes and we are about to get dragged along with it.

Not only will this put virtually every manufacturer, wholesaler, and retaailer out of business. It will also devastate the economy of Nicaragua, Honduras, The Dominican Republic and have a significant impact on Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Panama, Brasil, and Peru. (Whereupon, I’m sure the USA will be called upon to provide additional relief funding !).

You and everyone else who has any thoughts about continuing to smoke cigars or grow, sort, manufacture, distribute or retail cigars need to make a concerted phone, mail, and e-mail bombardment of Congress very shortly. Hopefully, someone more adept at interpreting this new tax law will supply the proper language for this protest.

Be ready and be vocal, and be outraged because this tax is definitely outrageous. It is my firm belief that if passed as it stands right now the entire industry will collapse prior to April 1,2008 (appropriately named April Fools Day for the Fools we have running the government right now) because no one will have the finances to pay the tax on their inventory.


Don't know how to do the linky-poo thing so:

http://www.senate.gov/~finance/sitepages/l...71307%20JCT.pdf
 
Good grief ... whoever it is that proposed this, I'm sure I didn't vote for em. Mail order from out of the states though should skyrocket if this passes.
 
Thanks America. We all appreciate you giving the Democrats the car keys. :angry:

While not a Dem or Rep, and with much due respect; I don't agree. A fine example is MN's Republican Governor, who would be the first SOB to sign for this. And he's the guy who is planning on running alongside McCain.
 
Committee members:

Senate:
Max Baucus, Montana-D Vice Chairman
John D. Rockefeller IV, West Va. -D
Kent Conrad, North Dakota - D
Charles E. Grassley, Iowa-R
Orrin G. Hatch, Utah-R

House:
Charles B. Rangel, New York -D Chairman
Fortney Pete Stark, California - D
Sander M. Levin, Michigan - D
Jim McCrery, Louisiana - R
Wally Herger, California - R


Just in case anyone wanted to send an email or letter or cigar to any of the above.
BTW, Rangel did introduce a bill to begin lifting the embargo on Cuba
Linky
 
Thanks America. We all appreciate you giving the Democrats the car keys. :angry:

While not a Dem or Rep, and with much due respect; I don't agree. A fine example is MN's Republican Governor, who would be the first SOB to sign for this. And he's the guy who is planning on running alongside McCain.

Your Republican Governor can't "sign for this" at all, this is a piece FEDERAL legislation.

FlyFish was 100% correct, now that the Democrats are in the majority in Congress, expect this and similar BS to keep coming.

This is not a "political" statement, simply a statement of fact so I don't wanna hear any whining that I'm being "political." :rolleyes:

As far as McCain, he's done in the presidential race so your Governor isn't going anywhere so ya may as well get used to him. :laugh:
 
Thanks America. We all appreciate you giving the Democrats the car keys. :angry:


x2....Man I CAN NOT WAIT for the 2008 Elections. Hopefully this doesnt pass the congress, but if it does, I would like to believe that our president would veto it. Not that Bush has been solidly conservative, but I dont think he would throw al large portion of his supporters under the bus with a tax like this. I know it is in bad form to discuss politics on the board, but this bill this stupid is something only a democrat would introduce.


Edit to add that I agree with everything CC said above me.
 
Thanks America. We all appreciate you giving the Democrats the car keys. :angry:

While not a Dem or Rep, and with much due respect; I don't agree. A fine example is MN's Republican Governor, who would be the first SOB to sign for this. And he's the guy who is planning on running alongside McCain.

Your Republican Governor can't "sign for this" at all, this is a piece FEDERAL legislation.

FlyFish was 100% correct, now that the Democrats are in the majority in Congress, expect this and similar BS to keep coming.

This is not a "political" statement, simply a statement of fact so I don't wanna hear any whining that I'm being "political." :rolleyes:

As far as McCain, he's done in the presidential race so your Governor isn't going anywhere so ya may as well get used to him. :laugh:

Like I said, he "would be the first." While I agree you with on McCain, he still remains a strong Republican figure and our Governor is the man he's currently choosing for his right hand. Our Governor has not supported tobacco. That's my only point, and it's nothing but facts. Being a Republican does not translate to being pro-tobacco.
 
Got to pay for Iraq somehow..... :p (yeah I know that it said its for the kids... but if we weren't throwing a Billion dollars a day into a black hole, this wouldn't be needed).

*edit* I'm a registered Libertarian, so you can start throwing the rotten eggs and tomatoes now. :sign:
 
I don't see that big of a tax happening to cigars. Cigarettes maybe, because those are just an addictive drug, no refinement to them really so I can't think of a good excuse to smoke them other than the social nature around them. At least I hope it doesn't happen because this would be a very short lived hobby.
 
This is being sponsored by Gordon Smith of Oregon, Ted Kennedy of MA , John Kerry of MA and Olympia Snow of ME.

Bush has already said he will veto this.
 
While I enjoy a good political row as much as the next guy, this really has nothing to do with Republican or Democrat. BOTH parties have sold tobacco users and producers out over the past several years. It is simply much easier to tell everyone that "those dirty smokers" will pay for this than to raise taxes on everyone.

After all, smokers cost the "system" so much more than lard asses, couch potatoes, people with high stress occupations, McDonalds' regular customers, idiots that drive while intoxicated, teenage drivers, etc.

:rolleyes:

I don't think this will go anywhere near a floor vote in its current form; if it does, I'm confident it won't pass. I won't bet the farm on it, but I'm not too worried...yet.
 
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